Actress Lena Dunham celebrated her pal Taylor Swift's 25th birthday by sending her a gold chain necklace featuring a pendant with a photo of her beloved cat Meredith. The singer showed off the gift on Instagram.com, alongside the caption, "My birthday present from @lenadunham my new most cherished possession".

CBS/Columbia Pictures via Everett Collection
Those who went to see Bad Teacher in theaters thinking it was the second coming of Bridesmaids were sorely mistaken. Instead of a hilarious female-centric comedy with heart and compelling characters, Bad Teacher was just more mindlessly raunchy humor. It was not well received to say the least, which is why a TV adaptation had us puzzled. But, after the premiere last week, we’re enjoying the Bad Teacher TV comedy much more than the movie.
Within the very first episode, the show creates a more balanced character in Meredith Davis (the bad teacher played by Ari Graynor). Although she’s still a bit of a gold digger, she has some heart, too — she helped boost the confidence of some less popular girls at her the high school where she works.
While the movie only really scratched the surface of its main character — Elizabeth Halsey played by Cameron Diaz (who is helping to produce the show along with its star) — the TV series will have much more time to delve into the main character. Twelve more episodes in fact.
Similarly, the movie focused entirely on Elizabeth’s quest to land her ideal man, Scott Delacorte (played by everyone’s ideal man, Justin Timberlake). However the first episode of the show gave as much time to how Meredith became a teacher and fit into the school as her ploy to shop for hot dads through a career day event. Although the golddigging aspect of the main character can be funny, the moments where the show focused on their bad teacher’s non-romantic plights were more entertaining.
Although the television show may not paint Meredith as bad as Elizabeth — there certainly was no scene of Meredith smoking marijuana in her car outside of the school — they have the potential to create a more dynamic and likable character. The fish out of water aspect, in which Meredith finds herself as a teacher with absolutely no qualifications except that she graduated from high school, is the most interesting aspect of Bad Teacher. If the TV series continues to explore that side of the show, they’ll create a much funnier and more entertaining comedy than the film turned out to be.
Follow @Hollywood_com
//
Follow @mollyrockit
//

DreamWorks
For the bulk of every Rocky and Bullwinkle episode, moose and squirrel would engage in high concept escapades that satirized geopolitics, contemporary cinema, and the very fabrics of the human condition. With all of that to work with, there's no excuse for why the pair and their Soviet nemeses haven't gotten a decent movie adaptation. But the ingenious Mr. Peabody and his faithful boy Sherman are another story, intercut between Rocky and Bullwinkle segments to teach kids brief history lessons and toss in a nearly lethal dose of puns. Their stories and relationship were much simpler, which means that bringing their shtick to the big screen would entail a lot more invention — always risky when you're dealing with precious material.
For the most part, Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman handles the regeneration of its heroes aptly, allowing for emotionally substance in their unique father-son relationship and all the difficulties inherent therein. The story is no subtle metaphor for the difficulties surrounding gay adoption, with society decreeing that a dog, no matter how hyper-intelligent, cannot be a suitable father. The central plot has Peabody hosting a party for a disapproving child services agent and the parents of a young girl with whom 7-year-old Sherman had a schoolyard spat, all in order to prove himself a suitable dad. Of course, the WABAC comes into play when the tots take it for a spin, forcing Peabody to rush to their rescue.
Getting down to personals, we also see the left brain-heavy Peabody struggle with being father Sherman deserves. The bulk of the emotional marks are hit as we learn just how much Peabody cares for Sherman, and just how hard it has been to accept that his only family is growing up and changing.
DreamWorks
But more successful than the new is the film's handling of the old — the material that Peabody and Sherman purists will adore. They travel back in time via the WABAC Machine to Ancient Egypt, the Renaissance, and the Trojan War, and 18th Century France, explaining the cultural backdrop and historical significance of the settings and characters they happen upon, all with that irreverent (but no longer racist) flare that the old cartoons enjoyed. And oh... the puns.
Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman is a f**king treasure trove of some of the most amazingly bad puns in recent cinema. This effort alone will leave you in awe.
The film does unravel in its final act, bringing the science-fiction of time travel a little too close to the forefront and dropping the ball on a good deal of its emotional groundwork. What seemed to be substantial building blocks do not pay off in the way we might, as scholars of animated family cinema, have anticipated, leaving the movie with an unfinished feeling.
But all in all, it's a bright, compassionate, reasonably educational, and occasionally funny if not altogether worthy tribute to an old favorite. And since we don't have our own WABAC machine to return to a time of regularly scheduled Peabody and Sherman cartoons, this will do okay for now.
If nothing else, it's worth your time for the puns.
3/5
Follow @Michael Arbeiter
//
| Follow @Hollywood_com
//

Hi. Pretty Little Liars is back.
I was a littler overzealous about the post-Halloween special, simply because I forgot that I wouldn’t get to watch my girls for 12 weeks and instead had to wait another 87 months for their legitimate return. BUT. NOW. THE LIARS ARE BACK FOREVER!!! Or, umm, at least for the next 12 weeks. Do you all remember when the first half of Season 3 aired? Emily was an alcoholic! Everyone had weird haircuts! I feel like we’ve progressed so much, and it hasn’t even been a full year. How are these people still in high school?
We’re dealing with the aftermath of the Halloween episode, where people died on a Halloween ghost train instead of just watching Alison wander around a haunted house in a vaguely Gaga-Ke$ha-Sharon Needles costume she forced reanimated china dolls sew together for her. We definitely have jumped a little since the actual night of the Halloween train, because a lot is happening.
Mainly, Hanna’s grandmother has moved in. Porn Star Mom is completely missing in action. Actually, everyone’s mom is missing in action — did they go on a spa weekend together or something?
Hanna and her gram give absolutely no explanation for the disappearance of mother. It is entirely possible that Porn Star Mom is filming porn in the porn district of Rosewood, Penn. If we’re looking at the big picture of Rosewood, that wouldn’t be the strangest thing to happen.
The episode opens with a hooded skateboard punk rolling through the streets, and I’m worried for a second that I’m watching some of crazy MTV skateboarding reality show. Okay, this is really bad night skateboarding. Like, bad for MTV reality show.
What was the name of the guy from the original Laguna Beach who was always on his long board? Trey? Troy? TOBY? Regardless, Mona is suddenly sneaking into Hanna’s room in the middle of the night. Hanna’s hair looks incredibly good for being startled awake at 3am, and I couldn’t be happier that Hanna is the first Liar we meet this “season.”
Mona wants help from Hanna — she’s been released from the local mental institution, and Mona’s parents have demanded that she return to Rosewood. Mona is a mess!
I don’t like demure helpless little Mona, mainly because Mona is at her best when she was manipulating everyone and designing her own hoodies for her birthday slumber party.
Hanna says that Mona spent the last two years majoring in torture; this is almost true, but it is also impossible to pick your major in high school. Mona knows what’s good, though — she has new meds, so she’s fine! Great!
I want Mona to run a prescription drug ring at Rosewood High and take over the world. Hanna clearly isn’t convinced by Mona’s newfound sanity/innocence, but Hanna will always care about her old bestie. Hanna’s amazing, mentally insane grandmother with the vague Southern accent breaks up the midnight meeting by screaming at Hanna through the door. Good work.
Back to the night boarder: Toby is chasing the skateboard punk in a large SUV, but Toby can’t catch up with him. What is happening? It’s the middle of the night, so I don’t understand why there is so much action.
It seems that this is a Sunday night? Slow down. Drop the crazy. Stop murdering people. I think we’re meant to believe that Mona is the skateboarder, but that obviously is not the case. We shall see.
I can’t stop smiling! I love this show! DRAMA! Emily’s father has returned from Arizona/Vietnam/Space, and of course he’s wearing a shirt that says ARMY across the chest. Of course! Dad is also installing a 24/7-alarm system on the house, which is just an elaborate way of Emily’s parents saying that her lesbian girlfriend can’t climb through the window for late night lesbian action. Okay, it’s more protection from fake cousins that try to murder you inside a lighthouse, but still. Emily is forbidden from participating in the big school run, even though Emily raised $274 in pledges.
Yes, Emily, that’s a lot of money. I understand your pain. Big money, no whammies.
Spencer and Aria complain about how Emily is on severe military lockdown, and they’re both wearing pretty aggressive glamsquad outfits for a local coffee run. Spencer wins best hair of the episode, only because judging from sneaks to later this season, Spencer’s hair gets pretty… rough, to say the least.
Also, if this is a pre-school coffee run — AIN’T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT (in the words of sweet Sweet Brown). Spencer and Aria would have to wake up at 4am to look THAT good and have THAT much time to grab coffee before school. Aria is giving hardcore accessory overload, and it’s a good thing Ezra buys her a piece of jewelry later in the episode; all Aria needs is another bracelet-earrings-necklace trio before she sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Aria always makes dumb coffee. Her coffee looks really bad. Spencer’s coffee looks fantastic, and Spencer says a lot of smart things. Everything is normal.
Jenna was unfortunately missing from this entire episode (since she inexplicably switched schools… oh, wait, maybe she switched schools because everyone loved making fun of the manic blind bitch).
However, Jenna’s absence is barely noticed whenever Hanna’s Grandmother enters. Did this woman fall from God’s wondrous hands into our undeserving laps? I sure hope so.
Grandma tells a story about Cousin Heshie, where Heshie tried to feed nails to his parents as cereal. Grandma loves telling stories about the ancestors! Anyway, Hanna is going to her grandmother to see if Mona has changed/can be let back in. Grandma clearly things Mona should be a friend again, seeing Heshie’s change of brain, but I also think Grandma is way off her rocker.
Remember when Hanna blacked out in the girl’s bathroom at her father’s wedding reception? And Grandma picked Hanna up from the airport? What an amazing episode.
We now reach our great bullying sub-plot, because every show with a lead actor in high school is contractually obligated to show something about bullying. Those TV writers sure are ingenious.
Mona 2.0 is a sad little puppy, waiting on the steps of the high school while people call her weird names. They say awful bully catchphrases like, “You shouldn’t be here.” That’s a serious threat!
We get a nice shot of Aria’s butt as she climbs the stairs to the school and makes janky eye contact with Aria, but that’s about it. Inside the actual school, Jody from Center Stage is teaching for Mrs. Hoobalajooli is on maternity leave. Aria asks someone to “please stick a fork in my neck.” Let’s do it!
In class, Aria is blatantly texting in front of the teacher, and Meredith takes Aria’s phone away from here. Taking Aria’s phone is literally the worst idea in the history of modern teenager — only the worst teacher actually took phones away during class, and a substitute would 100 percent never put herself under that kind of scrutiny. Especially on day one.
The Liars have a mini-Mexican standoff with Meredith/Jody after class. I get that Jody’s career as a dancer faltered when she became too old and injured her knees, so she changed her name to Meredith and started sleeping with Aria’s father, but she shouldn’t take her anger at youth out on the four baddest bitches in town. Sorry not sorry.
Someone put a cow brain in Mona’s locker, with the note: “TAKES ONE MAD COW TO KNOW ANOTHER.” I don’t understand why a high school bio lab would have cow brains instead of just the standard cow eyeball.
My favorite part of this scene is a very terrified girl taking a video of the entire ordeal on her iPhone. PLL is so hip. On the flip, Emily is literally so stupid. I can’t even talk about how stupid she is because it makes me feel more stupid and then I start to sink to her level.
Something weird is going on between Mona and Lucas; smart Hanna picks up on the connection.
There’s this weird thing throughout the episode where “Mona” tweets in the bottom corner of the screen, making a wonky acrostic. It looks like you can go online and watch more of Mona’s pity-party “I’m being bullied” video that she posts on Facebook during the episode, but you had to watch The Lying Game for all of the clues and I would never do that to myself. Even to help all of you.
Boyfriend life: Caleb is lurking around, and Hanna wants Caleb to grill Lucas on his limp; someone was stabbed in the leg by a screwdriver on the Halloween train, and Hanna’s main suspect is clearly Lucas.
I doubt Lucas would just downright confess his attempt to help murder Aria, but maybe that’s just me. Toby likes to go on runs with Spencer, take his shirt off, and get in hot tubs with his girlfriend after taking his shirt off post-run. Character progression!
I don’t want Spencer to be hurt by her current boyfriend. I wanted her to get with Jason instead, but it seems Jason is also a creepy asshole. Oh well.
Emily spots the man that worked the front desk at the Lost Woods Resort as… THE NEW ROSEWOOD JANITOR!!! That’s scary as all hell. His name is Harold, but we might as well call him Norman Bates (even though I used to have a crush on Anthony Perkins and I would never have a crush on this fool). Hanna thinks, “Maybe creepy Harold has a creepy twin.”
No, Hanna NO. Creepy Harold has a bunch of Mona’s stuff in his haunted basement office. Horrifying. My cat’s name is Harold, so I don’t like this sub-plot very much.
Hanna watches Mona’s Facebook bullying video 147 times in one day. Spencer talks about Mona having a resume for her crazy, which I believe is jargon that this show has used before (still not complaining).
Caleb finds out that Mona lied – she BEGGED to get back into Rosewood, while her parents wanted her in a different program. Hanna’s grandmother sings the National Anthem at the big school run, and she’s almost as good as the famed Whitney Houston performance. Almost. Hanna proclaims that Gram is singing, “Because she can.” TRUTH. Like, why do I love Hanna so much?
Every she says is pure gold. The Liars ditch the run (as any smart high schooler would naturally do), only to sneak into Creepy Janitor’s office; Harold is writing a letter to Mona in Alison’s old journal, which is very bad in very real world pedo-creepy way.
From the journal, we flip to a nice flashback: Aria has been coping the entire episode with the thought that Byron, her father, was the last person to see Alison alive. Did Byron kill Ali? What was their relationship?
Aria has been using sneaky passive-aggressive Carrie Mathison interrogation techniques on her father, but to no avail. Byron shows his violent side. Flashback Alison is blackmailing Byron.
Flashback Alison is making weird innuendos about wiping feet on people. Unless I misheard. I always mishear.
The girls escape the clutches of Creepy Harold, only to jump from the frying pan into the fire. I think that’s the right saying. Maybe it’s flipped. I’m talking about a literal fire here.
The swag bag post-run tent is on fire, and someone is screaming. I was hoping that Mona would just die already in this rightful blaze of glory, but it seems Jody/Meredith was burned in the “accident.”
Mona clearly set the fire. Jody/Meredith will clearly be far too burned to ever dance again. Is Jody/Meredith the new Jenna?
Byron (what an awful name, I can’t ignore it any longer) interrogates Aria about trying to hurt Meredith. These parents are literally the worst — they are always yelling at their daughters while their daughters are dealing with secret babies and down-low murderers!
“These kind of secrets come back to haunt us, “ growls Byron. “WHAT ABOUT YOURS,” screams back Aria. You go, girl. Aria then politely asks her father to close her bedroom door. I don’t like creepy parents, that sort of thing just gives me a lot of weird terrors.
Spencer stops by Jason’s house to talk about Mona, while Jason relaxes on his porch with his unbuttoned shirt and his loud bug zapper.
As soon as Spencer walks off, Mona appears from the shadows… and helps Jason treat his wound. His wound that looks an awful lot like the infected puncture hole from a dirty screwdriver on a Halloween ghost train that featured Adam Lambert as the musical guest. OMG.
More importantly, Mona is a vampire that likes to wear red heart sweaters. She was definitely hanging up in bat form by the bug zapper. Just wait for that reveal.
Black-hooded maybe-A, probably the skateboard, is shown in the post-episode clue stealing bike parts from a fat kid’s bike at night. That’s just really rude. Speaking of rude, my rude friend changed the channel to New Girl aka The Zooey Deschanel Show before I could see scenes from next episode, so I can’t even get a brief hair preview for next Tuesday night. Unforgivable, I say.
I hope Emily gets murdered this season. She annoyed me tonight, and I would enjoy a shocking Liar death. I hope PLL does an episode this season where Spencer gets swine flu and has a fever dream that she’s in Dirty Dancing with Jason. I hope all these parents work out their Xanax prescriptions.
I hope the moms return soon. I hope Emily gets back to work at the hippest coffee shop in town. I hope a new coffee shop opens up to rival Emily’s workplace. I hope Emily gets drunk again.
Maybe I don’t hate Emily as much as I thought. I hope this portion of Pretty Little Liar’s outrageously successful third season is the best thing ever shown on television. I have a feeling this show will still be airing new episodes when I am 87. Forever and ever, amen.
Bonus: Here’s a video of Hanna/Ashley Benson wearing a cheap wig and dancing while James Franco lip-synchs to Bieber’s “Boyfriend.”
You’re welcome.
[Image Credit: Eric McCandless/ABC Family (2)]
More:
Pretty Little Liars: A Thrilling Catch-Up Before the Next Text
Pretty Little Liars Halloween Post-Mortem: What’s Next For the Liars?
Pretty Little Liars Halloween Recap: Murder on the Homo Express
From Our Partners:
Megan Fox’s 12 Hottest Moments (Moviefone)
’Texas Chainsaw’: Top 5 Leatherface Kills (Moviefone)

The new fall pilots haven't even premiered yet, but already the networks are looking forward to their next big task: finding the right pilots and scripts to order for the 2013-2014 season. Development season is well underway and has been for the past few weeks — although this season is marked by a declaration from some networks (namely ABC and NBC) that the typically order-happy suits would not be as quick to bulk up their pilot orders this year. In other words, less is more.
Most of the majors have already made their first-round choices for specific projects, and the trends that have emerged seem to be all about big-name attachments (e.g. Vince Vaughn, Jodie Foster, Ryan Reynolds), period dramas (e.g. Aztec empire, Cold War America, 1890s Europe), international transplants (from Israel, England and Scandinavia) and — in an interestingly-revived yet well-worn trend — book adaptations (including Dracula and two Sleepy Hollow reboots).
Here's what ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX, NBC and more have coming down the '13-'14 pipeline so far:
ABC
— Dumb F*ck: Single-camera comedy about an average Joe and his brilliant wife who move in with her intelligent yet emotionally stunted family of geniuses; written by Hank Nelken (Saving Silverman), executive produced by Vin Di Bona, Bruce Gersh, Susan Levison and Shaleen Desai.
— Burns &amp; Cooley: Medical procedural about two New York neurosurgeons who compete as they strive to be the top in all aspects of their lives; written by Meredith Philpott (Awkward), exec produced by Matt Gross (Body Of Proof).
— Founding Fathers: Drama about a war veteran whose Texas hometown is in the hands of a militia group led by his older brother; written by Rich D'Ovidio (Thir13en Ghosts), produced by Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and Dan McDermott.
— Untitled McG Project: Retelling of Romeo and Juliet, revolving around two rival families fighting for control over Venice, California; written by Byron Balasco (Detroit 1-8-7), produced by McG (The OC, Supernatural, Nikita).
— Untitled Kurtzman/Orci Project: Drama about a mysterious game; written by Noah Hawley (The Unusuals), produced by Heather Kadin, Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci.
NBC
— Dracula: 1890s-set period piece about the iconic vampire; written by Cole Haddon, produced by Tony Krantz and Colin Callender; starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors).
— The Blacklist: Drama about an international criminal who surrenders himself and helps the government hunt down his former cohorts; written by Jon Bokenkamp, exec produced by John Davis, John Fox and John Eisendrath.
— Hench: Based on the comic about a man who becomes a temp for super villains; written by Alexandra Cunningham (Desperate Housewives), exec produced by Peter Berg and Sarah Aubrey (Prime Suspect).
— Cleopatra: Period drama about the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; written by Michael Seitzman (Americana), exec produced by Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and Dan McDermott.
— Pariah: Drama inspired by Freakonomics about a rogue academic who uses economic theory to police San Diego; written by Kevin Fox (The Negotiator), exec produced by Kelsey Grammer, Stella Stolper and Brian Sher.
— After Hours/The Last Stand: Medical drama about Army doctors who work the night shift at a San Antonio hospital; revisited from last season; written by Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah.
— Untitled Parkes/MacDonald Project: Drama about an interpreter at the United Nations who works with diplomats and politicians from around the world; written by Tom Brady (Hell on Wheels), produced by Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald and Ted Gold.
— Untitled Charmelo/Snyder Project: New Orleans-set drama, described as a "sexy Southern Gothic thriller"; created by Eric Charmelo and Nicole Snyder (Ringer), exec produced by Peter Traugott and Rachel Kaplan.
— Untitled Rand Ravich Project: Drama-thriller following a secret service agent at the center of an international crisis in Washington, DC; created by Rand Ravich (Life), produced by Far Shariat.
CBS
— Island Practice: Based on the book Island Practice: Cobblestone Rash, Underground Tom, and Other Adventures Of A Nantucket Doctor, about an eccentric doctor with a controversial medical practice on an island off the coast of Washington; written by Amy Holden Jones (Mystic Pizza, Beethoven), produced by Brian Grazer, Francie Calfo and Oly Obst.
— The Brady Bunch: Reboot of the series, about a divorced Bobby Brady who re-marries a woman with children of her own; written by Mike Mariano (Raising Hope), co-developed and exec produced by Vince Vaughn (Sullivan &amp; Son).
— A Welcome Grave: Based on the book series about a private investigator who comes under suspicion when a rival turns up dead.
— Backstrom: Based on the book series about a House-like detective who tries to change his self-destructive nature; written by Hart Hanson (Bones), produced by Leif G.W. Persson (novel) and Niclas Salomonsson.
— Ex-Men: Single-camera comedy about a young guy who moves into a short-term rental complex and befriends the other men who live there after being kicked out by their wives; written and directed by Rob Greenberg; starring Chris Smith and Kal Penn.
The CW
— Sleepy Hollow: Contemporary reinterpretation of the Sleepy Hollow short story; written by Patrick Macmanus and Grant Scharbo, produced by Scharbo and Gina Matthews.
FOX
— Gun Machine: Based on an upcoming novel (of the same name) about a New York detective whose chance discovery of a stash of guns leads back to a variety of unsolved murders; written by Dario Scardapane (Trauma), produced by Warren Ellis (book author), Scardapane, Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope.
— Sleepy Hollow: Modern-day thriller based on the Sleepy Hollow short story, following Ichabod Crane and a female sheriff who solve supernatural mysteries; written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Fringe, Hawaii Five-0) and Phillip Iscove, produced by Heather Kadin and Len Wiseman.
— The Beach: Based on the 1996 novel and 2000 movie about a group of youths who try to start society over on a remote paradise; written by Andrew Miller (The Secret Circle).
— Hard Up: Single-camera comedy based on Israeli series about four twentysomething guys who are strapped for cash; written by Etan Frankel (Shameless), produced by John Wells.
— Lowe Rollers: Animated comedy about a struggling Titanic-themed casino in Las Vegas; written by Mark Torgove and Paul Kaplan (Outsourced) and Ash Brannon, produced by Ryan Reynolds, Jonathon Komack Martin, Steven Pearl and Allan Loeb.
— Untitled Chris Levinson Project: Cop drama about a detective who puts his life under surveillance when he begins to lose his memory; written by Chris Levinson (Touch), produced by Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope.
— Untitled Friend/Lerner Project: Drama set on an aircraft carrier following young naval officers and a female fighter pilot who tries to solve an onboard murder; written and produced by Russel Friend and Garrett Lerner (House).
— Untitled Ryan Reynolds Project: Half-hour comedy about a disgraced hotelier forced to manage a rundown airport hotel; written by Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay (Clash of the Titans), produced by Ryan Reynolds, Allan Loeb, Jonathon Komack Martin and Steven Pearl.
— Untitled Jason Katims Project: Romantic comedy about a single female attorney; written by Jason Katims (Parenthood, Friday Night Lights) and Sarah Watson.
HBO
— Getting On: U.S. adaptation of a British comedy about a group of nurses and doctors working in a women's geriatric wing of a run-down hospital; Big Love creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer to exec produce with Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner and Geoff Atkinson.
— Buda Bridge: Belgian-set crime drama about a woman who is found dead on a famous bridge in Brussels; written and directed by Michael R. Roskam (Bullhead), produced by Michael Mann (Luck) and Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad).
— Hello Ladies: Comedy about an oddball Englishman who chases women in Los Angeles; written, directed by and starring Stephen Merchant (The Office), produced by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky (The Office).
SHOWTIME
— Angie's Body: Drama about a powerful woman at the head of a crime family; written by Rob Fresco (Heroes, Jericho), directed and executive produced by Jodie Foster, Fresco and Russ Krasnoff.
— Conquest: Period drama about Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes, who clashes with the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II; written by Jose Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries), produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo.
AMC
— Low Winter Sun: Based on 2006 British miniseries about the aftermath that follows the murder of a cop by a fellow detective; written by Chris Mundy; James Ransone, Ruben Santiago Hudson and Athena Karkanis to star.
— Those Who Kill: Based on Danish series about a detective and forensics scientist who track down serial killers; written by Glen Morgan, produced by Brian Grazer, Francie Calfo, Peter Bose and Jonas Allen, directed by Joe Carnahan.
— Untitled LaGravenese/Goldwyn Project: Legal thriller about an attorney who discovers new evidence that re-opens a sensational murder case; written by Richard LaGravenese, directed by Tony Goldwyn, exec produced by David Manson; Marin Ireland to star as female lead.
FX
— The Americans: Period drama about two KGB spies posing as Americans in Washington, DC; created by Joe Weisberg, exec produced by Weisberg, Graham Yost, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey; directed by Gavin O'Connor; Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys and Noah Emmerich to star.
— The Bridge: Based on the Scandinavian series, about a murder investigation opened up after a dead body is discovered on a bridge connecting the United States and Mexico; written by Meredith Stiehm and Elwood Reid (Cold Case), produced by Carolyn Bernstein, Lars Blomgren and Jane Featherstone.
— Untitled Dr. Dre Project: One-hour drama about music and crime in Los Angeles; written by Sidney Quashie, exec produced by Dr. Dre.
Follow Marc on Twitter @MarcSnetiker
[Photo Credit: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, The CW]

Today in tween heartthrob news, Justin Bieber continues pushing forward his thinly veiled agenda to take over the world, one Twitter follower at a time. Thanks in large part to a grassroots campaign led by his Beliebers, Justin managed to break the 25 million follower marker on Sunday and now clocks in at 25,017,535* (and counting). In celebration of Bieber’s accomplishment, we’re counting down the top 10 celeb Twitter accounts. Let's see where your favorite celebs stack up in the Twitterverse popularity contest.
10. Nicki Minaj
Well, technically YouTube is the 10th most followed "person" on Twitter, but since the site isn't exactly a celebrity, we're going to skip down to #11: Nicki Minaj. While it's a far cry from Bieber's 25 mill, Minaj has a respectable 13,569,177 followers (who may or may not consist mostly of rapping British children in tutus) who are clambering to hear her latest album and brand news. Minaj's tweets are filled with fun abbrevs, shout-outs to her "barbz" (fans), and an overabundance of punctuation.
9. Kim Kardashian
The most notorious Kardashian ranks at #9 with 15,378,252 followers hungry for the latest juicy gossip from Kardashian. While Kardashian's tweets tend toward self-promotion, fashion pics, and workout updates (with gems like, “Good workout today! I'm gonna be sooo sore tomorrow! And so far I haven't eaten any sugar! I pray this lasts!”), her fans hold out hope that she'll drop some big news about Kanye and/or maybe some indiscreet photos. Kardashian's really got to up the intrigue factor if she wants to catch up with the Biebs any time soon.
8. Taylor Swift
Over 16 million (16,319,142, to be exact) Twitter users log on for a glimpse at Swift’s oh-so-perfect life. Swift’s tweets feature plenty of cat pictures — Meredith is an ever-willing model — and her humble, “who me?” brand of modesty. Swift’s bits of whimsy and glitter cater perfectly to her legions of teen fans, but to reach Bieber’s level of Twitter fame, she should try tweeting something with crossover appeal. We suggest she try something akin to, “Yo, how you feel about healthcare reform? #gameofthrones4eva”
7. Shakira
Shakira? Really? Yes. The hip-shaking, pocket-sized hottie has 17,180,428 people waiting with bated breath for news of her next album. Shakira, or at least her team, tweets in Spanish as well as English, so she’s got the bilingual thing to her advantage. Can you imagine how many followers Bieber would have if he started tweeting in, say, Portuguese? Maybe the Biebs can learn a thing or two from Shakira. Her hips, actually tweets, don't lie.
6. Barack Obama
The leader of the free world takes sixth place in the Twitter race, with 17,541,071 followers. While it’s pretty safe to say that the President reaches the most diverse demographic of everyone on this list — with followers ranging from heads of state to journalists and religious leaders — he should take a page out of Bieber’s book to attract more of the 12-16-year-old crowd and rack up more attention. Try tweeting a music video every now and again, Prez, or release a fragrance.
5. Britney Spears
Spears is here to stay. From schoolgirl to crazytown to The X Factor, Spears always has something up her sleeve tantalizing enough to keep both fans and paparazzi on their toes. What's she going to do next? Better follow her on Twitter to find out. Or at least that's how 18,646,362 loyal fans feel. Spears actually has a pretty diverse Twitter feed, filled with enough personal anecdotes and photos to satisfy the voracious appetites of Britaholics everywhere. Spears shouldn't have to change much to reach Bieber's level of Twitter fame; maybe her gig as X Factor judge will give her the boost needed to get there.
4. Rihanna
Rihanna, who works hard to live up to her reputation as an international woman of mystery, has attracted 22,561,743 followers on Twitter. Fans clearly dig her bad girl, I don't give a f**k attitude. Rihanna's mix of sex, drugs, and rock and roll — illustrated with smoldering Instagram photos — is titillating. From where we're sitting, the only thing keeping her from jumping to the top of the list is that she is too titillating for parents of fans who deem Bieber age-appropriate enough for their daughters' ogling.
3. Katy Perry
The reigning Princess of Pop comes in at #3 with 23,224,527 followers. Just like Bieber, she's got the teeny bopper contingent on lock-down and now, thanks to her recent divorce and 3D movie, Katy Perry: Part of Me, all eyes are on her. Seems to us that Perry is one hit single away from breaking the 25 million marker herself.
2. Justin Bieber
Surprise! Even though Justin just broke 25 million followers, he's not the #1 star on Twitter. That title belongs to...
1. Lady Gaga
Mother Monster holds the whole Twitter world in her hands with 27,136,988 followers. Whatever she types, be it an inspirational quote, song lyrics, or gratuitous photo, turns instantly to Internet gold.
*All numbers are from time of writing and continue to change.
Follow Abbey Stone on Twitter @abbeystone Bieber Twitter More: Justin Bieber Teases Fans With New Video 10 Funniest Celebs on Twitter Justin Bieber &amp; Usher Releasing Two Duets

The episode opens with Aria’s Mom teaching Hedda Gabler to the Liars. This is a really highbrow metaphor for the girls, but it makes me expect great things. Like, Hedda Gabler on ABC Family? Maybe just a desperate plea for Emmy attention, but I’m on board. Also, this high school doesn’t only teach To Kill A Mockingbird! I feel like the Liars probably didn’t read Hedda Gabler. Whatever. Aria’s Mom also thinks that people dance for the security cameras at Wal-Mart the night before an exam. Which is a lie — everyone dances for the security camera at the closest grungy supermarket these days. Ugh. Aria’s Mom is always behind.
Emily receives a necklace of teeth that reads DEAD GIRLS CAN’T SMILE. But dead girls CAN smile, if you turn their mouth that way. However, they will look bad if you pull out all their teeth. Emily has a panic attack, everyone runs out after her to have a bathroom powwow. If my memories from high school are correct, you are not allowed to do that. I feel like our four Liars are in charge of the school, you know? The necklace falls into the toilet because everyone is being stupid, and Spencer does the most stupid thing because she triggers the flusher sensor thing. Spencer messes up even after Aria warns her about the sensor. Is Aria passing Spencer for smartest Liar? Probably not, but anything can happen on this show...
Aria’s hair looks better when she puts it in a ponytail and lets her top mom layers frame her lemur face. Yes, I am still obsessed with Aria’s hair because it looks the worst. After the necklace of human teeth is lost forever into the Rosewood toilet system, our ladies decide to double attack Mona and Garrett to get more information. Suddenly, a wild Jenna appears wearing a RIDICULOUS voodoo necklace and still pretending she is blind! The most blind ever, because she is running into people now. Oops. Aria is the only one that realizes how Jenna is now the blindest, further solidifying her smart status. Gold star, Aria!
Emily was absent from school all of April. Was she drunk? How did she miss every day of school in April? Didn’t her friends say something? Was it because of Maya? Couldn’t they help out the token lesbian with good hair? Aria thinks it’s really smart for Ezra to be Emily’s tutor on the English exam — another smart move for Aria. AND THEN BIG SOMETHING HAPPENS: MEREDITH ARRIVES. Meredith as in the graduate student that Aria’s Dad slept with! She is actually Jody Sawyer from Center Stage disguised as a crazy home wrecking bitch, which means I like her and hate her at the same time. Meredith wants a teaching position at the high school, and says she won’t put Aria down as a reference. That comment is not even funny/cute/scary, only dumb. Meredith is hot and dumb.
NEXT: Do you suffer from Ambiguous Loss?
Hanna is still visiting Mona in the loony bin, and Mona still looks dead. Remember that weird Halle Berry film, Gothika? It is really bad. Do not watch it. But I think of it whenever I see Mona. Hanna is sharing the latest gossip with Mona, and then she SNAPS. Like, Hanna starts screaming about peach pie and braiding back hair and she throws a chair. Mona sits as stone cold as ever.
Hot British Doctor is lecturing Hanna about crazy people, which is weirdly sexual. (They should bang?) I know Hanna is with Caleb, but Hannah and Caleb have the same haircut now and that’s weird. Basically everyone should be in love with Hot British Doctor (HBD, from here on out). HBD mentions this thing called “Ambiguous Loss,” in which something is gone but yet still here. Sounds very medical, and by that, I mean it sounds like he made it up.
Spencer is hanging out with Toby and notices that Jenna’s life as a blind person is questionable. Duh. Spencer thought to use a search engine (probably Bing), and realized that Jenna’s camp ended Aug. 23. Where’d she go? Clearly Spencer is the one closest to the Nancy Drew here and solidifies her status as Smart One! Toby suddenly tries to have sex with Spencer. As in, he starts giving her a massage and then pulls her shirt up to expose her entire back and starts kissing and Spencer is not wearing a bra and vigorous making out and we see Toby’s weird hip tattoo again and is this show Fifty Shades of Grey? I forget how to use periods/punctuation when high schoolers have almost-sex on television! Mariska (Spencer’s Mom) comes back and it is over. Mariska’s hair looks bad. Mariska sucks.
Back at school, Aria finds a weird earring in her locker. We flash back to when Ali was alive, which means we see my favorite Aria: Rebellious Aria with the pink extension! Ali looks like a midget hooker, and the two are hunting for evidence of Aria’s Dad having an affair with Meredith; Ali finds an earring, so the two decide to trash everything and make it look like Meredith wants to ruin Aria’s entire family. The trashing looks like so much fun, because Ali and Aria write on the walls with lipstick and throw papers. This is one of the best things PLL has ever done. It is like a food fight but with actual damage. Ali also calls Meredith a “vindictive home-wrecking bunny boiler,” which is a burn I am using every day for the rest of my life. Anyhoo, flashback ends and Aria reveals that the earring is the keepsake Aria dropped in Ali’s casket. GRAVE ROBBING.
Aria passes Jenna on her way out, and Jenna says that she recognizes Aria because of Aria’s ringtone. ARIA’S RINGTONG IS RANDOM BEEPS. Jenna, try harder. Jenna wants Aria to play in a recital with her? What? That doesn’t make sense. Jenna is arranging pistachio shells in a weird crop circle. Aria blatantly lies and runs away. Jenna lowers her sunglasses — the universal sign that her eyeballs work — and starts casting an evil spell on Aria. I love Jenna.
NEXT: Where’s Hanna’s Mom?
Mariska bans Spencer from the jail! Garrett is bad! Spencer is wearing an ugly tennis dress! Garrett has evidence that proves… stuff? He says he is innocent! People lie! Medial records don’t! I believe most of this, but I also feel like someone on this show (umm, A) could 100 percent forge medical records. Garrett gives nothing up. Mariska is now Garrett’s lawyer. Something is fishy. Spencer is frazzled.
Everyone’s mother is being really rude this season and we are already two episodes in! Is that the theme for this season? Maybe all the moms are A? Hanna’s Mom is absent the entire episode, which means she is either filming porn somewhere or having sex with that police officer the entire week. Caleb thinks that Mona spends her time in the psych ward “making ashtrays and pooping in a stall without a door,” which sounds mildly boring but not that awful. Hanna mentions that she needs to see Mona because she is suffering from Ambiguous Loss! HBD! Hanna is like a doctor now. Hanna does Mona’s makeup at the hospital/jail. It is really sweet. Hanna deserves a pig cupcake. Mona also whispers her first line from the crazy house: “You’re still received them, aren’t you?” A!!! Mona also steals tweezers from Hanna and pulls something out of her finger. We’re crossing over into Black Swan territory!
Back at the hospital, HBD and Caleb are having a pissing contest over Hanna. HBD mentions Ambiguous Loss, and Caleb realizes that Hanna lied to him. Caleb is a really good boyfriend and Hanna is a bad girlfriend! Ambiguous Loss is everywhere and A is kind of M.I.A.ish this episode. I like the flip, because I learned about Ambiguous Loss and Ambiguous Loss can be used as an excuse for almost anything. I think.
Aria’s Dad is the worst character on this show, taking the spot left open from when Emily’s Mom used to cry in the soup cabinet about her daughter’s lesbian tendencies, when he forces Aria to apologize to Meredith about the office trashing. STUPID. Meredith is a blonde whore! She has evil eyes. Aria confesses because A sent her the worst A text ever, and it wasn’t that hard to tell the truth. Meredith hangs out in a Rosewood coffee house that has not existed before this very day, which makes sense because Rosewood just invents new stores when characters need a new meeting place. Aria finds out that the earring from her dad’s office does not belong to Meredith. That is not a mystery but more just Aria forgetting about the manipulative character traits of her evil dead friend.
NEXT: Jenna has eyeballs!
Emily is listening to pump-up jams before her exam… and… touching herself? She makes a scary orgasm face and then the exam starts. Emily sees the first page and does the classic “I KNOW EVERYTHING” face. She’s enjoying herself. However, as the exam nears the end, Emily has a flashback to the blue car that has been haunting her since… last episode. The flashback comes because some girl in the classroom acts as a trigger. At first, I thought Emily was going into a hazy lesbian fever dream. However, the woman driving the creepy car was JENNA!!! WITH EYEBALLS!!! NO SUNGLASSES!!! BLACK GLOVES!!! Again, Jenna is the best. Emily doesn’t finish the test. But she only had like seven minutes left when the flashback arrived, and she still had roughly 28 questions left. So… I don’t know if she can blame the car kidnap memory returning, you know?
Aria’s Mom sees that Emily is going to flunk, so she decides to fill in the answers for the questions Emily missed. Amazing. Ezra, as Emily’s concerned tutor, comes to talk to Aria’s Mom about the exam. Aria’s Mom gives the wink treatment to Ezra, basically saying I WILL DO ANYTHING SO SAVE EMILY. Ezra and Aria’s Mom have secrets now. Adults lying along with the Liars is perfect.
The episode ends with the girls having another bathroom party and screaming about everything that has happened this episode. They’re all talking on top of each other and no one is listening. Aaand then Jenna stumbles in! The girls hide in the stalls. Jenna fills up a water bottle. Jenna finds Aria’s evil-not-Meredith earring on the bathroom sink. JENNA TAKES OFF HER SUNGLASSES BECAUSE SHE CAN SEE. The Liars see everything from the slits in their bathroom stalls. Brilliant.
Aria is “ready to hang a sign: ‘Bitch can see!’” Spencer decides to wait because they can use the information to their advantage. Spencer is the smartest. Spencer wins. Aria gets close because that is a good sign.
Ultimately, I really hope A is controlling everything that ever happens in Rosewood and it ends up that A is the Mayor from Buffy. Like, the same actor that turns into the giant worm during graduation. This IS season three, and I like the parallels. Little Red Riding Hood is shown in a hunting shop with a lot of knives at the standard “clue” to cap the episode. What will happen with those knives? Are their knives in Hedda Gabler? Would you do the makeup for your crazy friend that tried to murder you and probably had a lot of knives? Are any of you readers suffering from Ambiguous Loss? Don’t play with sharp knives. See you next week.
[Image Credit: ABC Family]
More:
Pretty Little Liars Recap: Pretty Little Haircuts
Pretty Little Liars 10-Minute Clip Proves Some Things Just Can’t Stay Buried
Pretty Little Liars Puzzle Hunt: Get Your Next Clue Here!Pretty Little Liars

Widening the thematic scope without sacrificing too much of the claustrophobia that made the original 1979 Alien universally spooky Prometheus takes the trophy for this summer's most adult-oriented blockbuster entertainment. The movie will leave your mouth agape for its entire runtime first with its majestic exploration of an alien planet and conjectures on the origins of the human race second with its gross-out body horror that leaves no spilled gut to the imagination. Thin characters feel more like pawns in Scott's sci-fi prequel but stunning visuals shocking turns and grand questions more than make up for the shallow ensemble. "Epic" comes in many forms. Prometheus sports all of them.
Based on their discovery of a series of cave drawings all sharing a similar painted design Elizabeth (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie (Logan Marshall-Green) are recruited by Weyland to head a mission to another planet one they believe holds the answers to the creation of life on Earth. Along for the journey are Vickers (Charlize Theron) the ruthless Weyland proxy Janek (Idris Elba) a blue collar captain a slew of faceless scientists and David (Michael Fassbender) HAL 9000-esque resident android who awakens the crew of spaceship Prometheus when they arrive to their destination. Immediately upon descent there's a discovery: a giant mound that's anything but natural. The crew immediately prepares to scope out the scene zipping up high-tech spacesuits jumping in futuristic humvees and heading out to the site. What they discover are the awe-inspiring creations of another race. What they bring back to the ship is what they realize may kill their own.
The first half of Prometheus could be easily mistaken for Steven Spielberg's Alien a sense of wonder glowing from every frame not too unlike Close Encounters. Scott takes full advantage of his fictional settings and imbues them with a reality that makes them even more tantalizing. He shoots the vistas of space and the alien planet like National Geographic porn and savors the interior moments on board the Prometheus full of hologram maps sleeping pods and do-it-yourself surgery modules with the same attention. Prometheus is beautiful shot in immersive 3D that never dampers Dariusz Wolski's sharp photography. Scott's direction seems less interested in the run-or-die scenario set up in the latter half of the film but the film maintains tension and mood from beginning to end. It all just gets a bit…bloodier.
Jon Spaihts' and Damon Lindelof's script doesn't do the performers any favors shuffling them to and fro between the ship and the alien construction without much room for development. Reveals are shoehorned in without much setup (one involving Theron's Vickers that's shockingly mishandled) but for the most part the ensemble is ready to chomp into the script's bigger picture conceits. Rapace is a physical performer capable of pulling off a grisly scene involving an alien some sharp objects and a painful procedure (sure to be the scene of the blockbuster season. Among the rest of the crew Fassbender's David stands out as the film's revelatory performance delivering a digestible ambiguity to his mechanical man that playfully toys with expectations from his first entrance. The creature effects in Prometheus will wow you but even Fassbender's smallest gesture can send the mind spinning. The power of his smile packs more of a punch than any facehugger.
Much like Lindelof's Lost Prometheus aims to explore the idea of asking questions and seeking answers and on Scott's scale it's a tremendous unexpected ride. A few ideas introduced to spur action fall to the way side in the logic department but with a clear mission and end point Prometheus works as a sweeping sci-fi that doesn't require choppy editing or endless explosions to keep us on the edge of our seats. Prometheus isn't too far off from the Alien xenomorphs: born from existing DNA of another creature the movie breaks out as its own beast. And it's wilder than ever.
="font-style:>

Everyone knows the Internet loves cats, so it's pretty smart of Taylor Swift to enlist the help of her kitten to remind people to vote for the Academy of Country Music Awards. Particularly because her newly-adopted cat Meredith is ridiculously cute.
In a video shot by Swift, she tells Meredith that she's been nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year and Video of the Year, and asks, "Do you think that people should go and vote for us? Maybe?" Shamelessly fishing for votes has never been so adorable!
[E!]